Minnesota Twins Jose Berrios: Star Prospect Promoted

By Brad Kelly | Apr 26, 2016

Jul 13, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; World pitcher Jose Berrios waves his cap as he leaves the mound in the first inning during the All Star Futures Game at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Jose Berrios is one of the best young arms in baseball, making his promotion by the Minnesota Twins huge fantasy news. Does Berrios now warrant becoming a must add off the waiver wire?

Jose Berrios has proven to be one of the best young prospects in baseball, and with the Twins lacking any semblance of consistency in the rotation, Berrios has finally been promoted. Last season during the Twins’ improbable playoff run, there was even talk to promote him late in the season but due to him reaching his innings limit, they decided against it.

Berrios has basically dominated the minors at every level. Throughout his entire minor league career, the highest ERA he had in one single season was 3.99 at A ball in 2013. In 2014 he climbed through the ranks all the way to Triple-A, while posting a 2.77 ERA with 140 K along the way. Last season he was even better, posting a 2.87 ERA with 175 K over a career high 166 innings.

Interestingly enough, Berrios’ high school in Puerto Rico did not have a baseball team, meaning that Berrios only played on travel teams. He was mainly a middle infielder before finally being converted to a starter, but the talent was evident as he was still the 32^nd overall pick in 2012.

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The one thing that separates Berrios from other prospects, is that he has great command, a polished arsenal, and a pro ready pitching approach. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, his breaking ball many deem as a slurve, and a well-developed change up. He trusts every pitch and will throw them in any count, plus he only averaged 2 walks a game last season, so he certainly looks ready to handle MLB hitting.

The one knock on him is his height. Scouts always seek pitchers that are 6-foot-1 and above, but Berrios probably stands closer to 5-foot-11. While height definitely has its advantages, Berrios has the arm talent to override any nitpicking concerns. Like we have seen lately with the “short” Luis Severino, or the most notable example, Pedro Martinez, fantasy owners do not need to be turned off by this supposed issue.

The Twins have been awful this season, and that has mainly been because of a faulty rotation. Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes, Tommy Milone, and Tyler Duffey, are all mid to low-level starters, so Berrios certainly has the potential to become the ace of the staff rather quickly.

Next: New York Mets Asdrubal Cabrera: Waiver Wire Add

Jose Berrios first start comes April 27 against the Indians, but fantasy owners need not wait to add him off the waiver wire. His arm is legit and he will fly off the wire as more and more owners start to get acquainted with him, so act fast and add him immediately.

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